Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of computers and similar technologies, and in particular to software utilized in this field. Still more particularly, it relates to a method, system and computer-usable medium for protecting data stored on a mobile device, based upon its location.
Description of the Related Art
Protecting confidential data is becoming more difficult as employees bring their own mobile devices into the workplace. This trend, known as “bring your own device” (BYOD), has created new challenges for organizations that not only need to ensure authenticated and secure access to their confidential data, but also protect it once it is stored on an employee-owned device and leaves their premises. One approach to addressing these issues includes either fully or selectively deleting data from the mobile device as the employee leaves a designated area. However, this approach may prove impractical, especially if the user intends to bring their mobile device back to the area. If so, they may need to reload a large amount of data that has previously been deleted.
Furthermore, simply deleting the data may be insufficient. As a result, additional time will likely be needed to fully wipe the data from the mobile device by overwriting the storage area that was used to store the data. Likewise, the user may be in transit between two allowable locations, and wiping confidential data from the mobile device for the time it is in transit may not be realistic. Another common approach is the use of encryption and a user passcode or key. While this approach protects the data if the mobile device is lost or stolen in transit, it does not prevent unauthorized use of the data by an employee.
Other known approaches to these issues include implementing physical locks in combination with Global Position System (GPS) and time information. In this approach, the mobile device is unlocked when it is within a predetermined geofenced area and time interval. Another approach is the implementation of a geofence-based security beacon that allows a user to use their mobile device only when they are within the coverage area of the security beacon. Yet another approach provides notification to an operating system, or a subsystem, when a device enters or leaves a predetermined geofenced area within a specified time interval. However, none of these approaches secures data and makes it inaccessible when a mobile device leaves a predetermined geofenced area.